Dreaming in Russian

""[A] beautifully written and remarkable new memoir...Read this spectacular book.""--Forbes ""An exceptionally well written and inherently fascinating life story, Dreaming in Russian: A Memoir is itself truly memorable and extraordinary read from start to finish -- and one that will be of immense value to readers with an interest in true life stories of the immigrant experience.""--Midwest Book Review ""Anya Gillinson's deeply personal take on the Russian character and the nature of the Russian state is both surprising and unusual: devoid of tiresome ideological fervor or overwrought historicism. Rather, it is one woman's remarkable story of recovering her Russian roots as an émigré in post-modern 21st century America.""--Carl Bernstein, Pulitzer Prize-winning coauthor of All the President's Men and author of Chasing History and A Woman in Charge ""What a fascinating and compelling book. Anya has poignantly preserved an intimate view of a world very few have seen or experienced, and she tells her story with humor, grace and honesty. Her story becomes our story. Somewhere, her Russian family ancestors are smiling.""--Michael Feinstein ""Anya Gillinson has written a deeply moving, brutally honest, and utterly majestic account of her life as a Soviet Jew who finds a new birth of Jewish identity and freedom in the United States. From a privileged incarceration in Soviet Russia to the highest heights of social status in New York City, as an accomplished attorney and wife to the head of one of the world's most celebrated music institutions, Anya's story of triumph and tragedy, love and loss, and hope and longing is uniquely suited to our turbulent and confusing times. Like light from the darkness, Anya's story of overcoming the tragic murder of her renowned father to rebuild a life of fortitude and conviction will inspire all those who have grappled with unspeakable loss. As antisemitism rears its reptilian head in the United States and abroad, Anya's moral courage and ferocious pride as a Jew who revolves in the grandest echelons of American society will inspire people of every ethnicity to embrace their heritage, as we all seek to finally realize the as yet unfulfilled American dream of being 'one indivisible nation under God.'""--Shmuley Boteach, ""America's Rabbi,"" international bestselling author of Judaism for Everyone and The Israel Warrior ""Anya Gillinson is a woman of great intellect, tremendous passion, and exciting contradictions. Her perspective on her life, through both an American and Russian lens, makes her book unique in many ways. In fact, if there was a word to describe Anya, it is unique.""--Alec Baldwin ""A moving tale of growing up in Moscow as the beloved child of a prominent doctor favored by the elite. Gillinson tells the story of being forced to leave her comfortable home and emigrate to the U.S. after his unexpected death, starting life over again as a Jewish émigré. Beautifully written. Compelling reading.""--Lally Graham Weymouth, journalist, and senior associate editor of The Washington Post ""This book is both very sincere and very informative, a deeply personal story and a detailed testimony. The state in which both the author of the book and I grew up ceased to exist more than three decades ago, but in our troubled times this memoir is truly important for the new generations of English-speaking readers, because it serves as a vivid reminder of what can happen when people abandon the ideals of freedom and democracy.""--Evgeny Kissin, pianist and composer